Author Guidelines

Introduction

We are committed to publishing high-quality academic, professional, and educational books that contribute meaningfully to research, teaching, and professional practice. These author guidelines have been developed to help authors prepare manuscripts that meet international publishing standards and facilitate a smooth editorial and production process. Authors are encouraged to read these guidelines carefully before submitting their work to ensure compliance with formatting, ethical, and editorial requirements.

Scope of Publications

Our publishing program welcomes original manuscripts from a broad range of academic disciplines and professional fields. We publish: Textbooks and edited volumes, Research monographs and handbooks, Laboratory manuals and clinical guides, Conference proceedings and reference books. Manuscripts should present well-organised, evidence-based content suitable for students, educators, researchers, clinicians, and professionals. Every proposal is evaluated according to its originality, academic merit, market relevance, and contribution to the advancement of knowledge.

Originality and Publication Ethics

Authors are expected to submit only original work that has not been previously published or simultaneously submitted elsewhere. All manuscripts must comply with internationally accepted standards of publication ethics and research integrity. Proper acknowledgement must be given to all sources of information, and permissions must be obtained for copyrighted text, figures, tables, or images reproduced from other publications.

Ethical violations: Fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, duplicate publication, and inappropriate authorship practices are considered serious ethical violations and may result in immediate rejection or withdrawal of the manuscript.

Book Proposal

Before preparing and submitting the complete manuscript, prospective authors are encouraged to submit a detailed Book Proposal for preliminary editorial evaluation. The proposal provides the Editorial Board with essential information to assess the academic merit, originality, relevance, publishing feasibility, target readership, and potential market value of the proposed book. Authors should provide accurate and concise information addressing the following key components:

Editorial Evaluation of Book Proposals

All submitted book proposals undergo an initial editorial evaluation to determine their academic suitability, originality, scholarly contribution, publishing feasibility, and relevance to the intended readership. The evaluation helps the Editorial Board determine whether the proposed work is appropriate for further development and publication consideration. Evaluation Criteria invoves following points:

Editorial Decision Process

Based on the initial assessment, the Editorial Board may take one of the following actions:

Further Manuscript Evaluation

A proposal that meets the preliminary editorial requirements may proceed to a more detailed evaluation. At this stage, the publisher may request the complete manuscript, selected sample chapters, or additional supporting information. The subsequent assessment may consider the scientific accuracy, organisation, writing quality, references, originality, ethical compliance, and overall scholarly standard of the manuscript.

Important: Submission of a book proposal is an expression of interest and does not constitute acceptance, a publication contract, or a guarantee of publication. Final publication decisions are subject to successful editorial assessment and, where applicable, peer review or external expert evaluation.

Manuscript Preparation

Authors are requested to prepare manuscripts in accordance with the following guidelines to ensure academic consistency, editorial efficiency, readability, and high-quality production. A well-structured manuscript facilitates editorial assessment, peer or expert review where applicable, copyediting, typesetting, and final publication. Manuscripts that substantially deviate from the prescribed requirements may be returned to the author for technical correction before proceeding to the editorial evaluation stage.

Language and Style: Manuscripts should be written in clear, precise, concise, and grammatically correct English. Authors may use either British English or American English; however, a single spelling and language convention should be applied consistently throughout the manuscript. Scientific terminology, technical expressions, anatomical terms, chemical nomenclature, medical terminology, abbreviations, and other specialised terminology should follow internationally recognised standards relevant to the discipline. Authors who are not native or proficient English-language writers are encouraged to obtain appropriate language editing before submission. Language editing should improve clarity and readability without altering the scientific meaning, interpretation, or originality of the author's work.

File Formatting and Style: The manuscript should preferably be prepared using an editable Microsoft Word file in .doc or .docx format. The submitted document must contain editable text and should not consist primarily of scanned pages, screenshots, or image-based text. Unless otherwise specified by the publisher, the complete manuscript should be submitted as a single file containing all principal text, tables, figures, references, and other relevant components.

Page Layout and General Formatting

The manuscript should be formatted using a consistent page layout throughout the document. Unless specific instructions are provided for a particular publication, authors should use A4 page size with 2.5 cm margins on all sides. The recommended manuscript font is Times New Roman, with 12-point type for the main text and 1.5-line spacing. Text should normally be justified to provide a uniform page appearance. Page numbers should be inserted consistently, preferably at the bottom centre or bottom right of the page.

These manuscript-level specifications are intended primarily to facilitate editorial processing. The final published book may use a different typeface, page size, spacing, and layout following professional typesetting and production.

Heading and subheading structure: A clear and consistent hierarchy of headings should be maintained throughout the manuscript. Authors should avoid unnecessary variation in font styles, numbering systems, capitalisation, and heading levels. Where numbered headings are used, the numbering should follow a logical and consistent sequence throughout the relevant chapter.

Authors should not manually create excessive spacing, decorative formatting, or complex text effects, as the final appearance of headings will be standardised during professional typesetting.

Organisation of Manuscript: The overall organisation of a book manuscript should provide a logical progression from introductory material through the principal chapters to supporting and reference material. The exact structure may vary according to the type of book, discipline, and publishing model. A typical scholarly book may follow the sequence presented below.

The final sequence of front matter, chapters, references, appendices, glossary, and index may be modified during production to conform to the publisher's house style and the specific requirements of the publication.

Chapter Structure: Each chapter should follow a consistent organisational pattern appropriate to its academic discipline and purpose. A typical chapter may begin with the chapter title and author information, followed by an abstract and keywords where these are appropriate. The main content should then proceed through a logical introduction, clearly defined sections and subsections, relevant tables and figures, and a concluding section or summary where appropriate. References should appear at the end of the chapter when a chapter-based referencing system is adopted.

The structure should be adapted to the nature of the chapter. For example, a textbook chapter, research-based monograph chapter, clinical chapter, technical chapter, and review chapter may require different internal structures.

Tables & Figures: Tables and figures should be used when they improve the clarity, interpretation, organisation, or presentation of the material. Each table and figure should be numbered consecutively within the relevant chapter unless another numbering system has been specified by the publisher. Every table and figure should be explicitly referred to in the main text, and captions or titles should provide sufficient information for the reader to understand the presented material.

Authors should ensure that labels, legends, symbols, fonts, and numerical information remain legible at the intended publication size. Figures reproduced from previously published sources should not be submitted without appropriate permission and attribution where such permission is required.

Equation and Mathematical Expression: Mathematical equations and scientific expressions should be created using an appropriate editable equation tool, such as Microsoft Equation Editor or MathType, rather than being inserted as low-resolution images. Important equations may be numbered sequentially when they are referred to elsewhere in the manuscript. All variables, symbols, abbreviations, and mathematical terms should be defined clearly when first introduced, and notation should remain consistent throughout the chapter or book.

Abbreviations, Symbols, and Units: Abbreviations should be used selectively and should not compromise the readability of the manuscript. An abbreviation should normally be written in full at its first occurrence, followed by the abbreviated form in parentheses. Subsequently, the abbreviation may be used consistently throughout the relevant chapter or manuscript. Internationally recognised units and symbols should be used consistently, with SI units preferred where applicable. Discipline-specific units that are widely accepted may be retained when scientifically justified. Authors should maintain consistency in the use of symbols, units, decimal notation, capitalisation, and scientific nomenclature throughout the manuscript.

References and citations: References should be accurate, complete, and consistently formatted according to the citation style specified by the publisher or applicable book series. Every source cited in the main text should correspond to an entry in the reference list, and every reference included in the reference list should be appropriately cited where required. Authors should carefully verify author names, article or book titles, publication details, page ranges, volume and issue information, and digital identifiers such as DOI where applicable.

Authors should prioritise authoritative, relevant, and scientifically credible sources. References should reflect both foundational literature and significant recent developments in the field where appropriate. Citation practices should accurately acknowledge the intellectual contributions of other researchers and should not be used to artificially inflate references.

Scientific and Technical Consistency: Scientific terminology, nomenclature, symbols, abbreviations, units, numerical expressions, and formatting conventions should remain consistent throughout the manuscript. Authors should verify technical data, equations, references, tables, figures, and cross-references before submission. Any discipline-specific standards applicable to the subject should be followed wherever relevant.

Final Author Responsibility

Submission of a manuscript confirms that the author or corresponding author has taken reasonable steps to ensure the accuracy, completeness, originality, and integrity of the submitted material. Authors are responsible for obtaining appropriate permissions for copyrighted content, ensuring correct attribution of sources, confirming authorship information, and identifying any relevant conflicts of interest or ethical considerations. Compliance with the manuscript preparation guidelines facilitates efficient editorial processing but does not replace the publisher's editorial assessment, peer or expert review where applicable, or final production requirements.

Final Manuscript Check: Careful adherence to the manuscript preparation guidelines facilitates efficient peer review, copyediting, typesetting, and production, while ensuring consistency, accuracy, and a high standard of publication quality. Before submission, authors should carefully review the complete manuscript and confirm that all required components, formatting specifications, references, figures, tables, and supporting materials have been properly prepared.

Organisation of Manuscript: A well-organised manuscript improves readability, comprehension, and consistency throughout the publication. Depending on the nature and requirements of the book, the complete manuscript may include a title page, copyright page, dedication, acknowledgements, preface, foreword, table of contents, list of contributors, list of figures and tables, chapters, references, appendices, glossary, and index. Each chapter should follow a logical sequence with clearly defined headings and subheadings. The overall structure should remain consistent throughout the book to provide readers with a clear and convenient reading experience.

Chapter Preparation: Each chapter should begin with an informative and concise title, followed by the names and affiliations of the contributing authors, where applicable. The chapter should contain a suitable introduction that establishes the background, purpose, and scope of the topic, followed by logically organised sections and subsections. Relevant scientific evidence, figures, tables, illustrations, and references should be incorporated where appropriate. Each chapter should conclude with a concise summary or conclusion highlighting the major concepts and learning points. Authors should maintain consistency in terminology, abbreviations, units, spelling, writing style, heading hierarchy, and formatting throughout the manuscript.

Figures, Tables, and Illustrations: Figures, photographs, diagrams, graphs, charts, and tables should be clear, accurate, relevant, and of sufficient quality for both print and digital publication. All figures and tables should be numbered consistently and cited in the appropriate location within the text. Each figure should be accompanied by an informative caption, while each table should have a clear and descriptive title. Authors should ensure that text, labels, symbols, legends, and numerical values remain legible at the intended publication size. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all visual material complies with applicable copyright and ethical requirements. Written permission should be obtained for the reproduction of copyrighted material wherever required, and appropriate source acknowledgements should be provided. Patient photographs, radiological images, clinical images, and other potentially identifiable material must be appropriately anonymised. Authors should retain documentation of all permissions obtained for third-party material.

References and Citation: Accurate, consistent referencing is essential to maintain the publication's scientific credibility and acknowledge previously published work. Authors should follow the citation and reference style specified by the publisher or book editor consistently throughout the manuscript. Every reference cited in the text should appear in the reference list, and references included in the reference list should correspond appropriately to citations in the manuscript. Authors should verify the accuracy and completeness of bibliographic information, including author names, article or book titles, journal titles, publication year, volume, issue, page numbers, and DOI or other persistent identifiers where available. Recent, reliable, authoritative, and peer-reviewed sources should be used whenever appropriate. References should be carefully checked for duplication, incorrect citations, incomplete information, and inconsistencies in formatting.

Final Submission: Before submitting the final manuscript, authors should conduct a comprehensive review of the complete document. The final version should represent the manuscript intended for publication and should include all required chapters, figures, tables, references, appendices, supplementary materials, and other components. Authors should also ensure that the manuscript has been proofread for grammar, spelling, punctuation, scientific terminology, formatting, and consistency. The following checklist may be used by authors before final submission:

Authors should retain a complete copy of the final submitted manuscript together with relevant figure files, tables, permissions, supplementary materials, and other supporting documentation. Submission of the manuscript confirms that the authors have undertaken the necessary final checks and that the submitted version is complete and ready for editorial and production processing.

Manuscript Submission

The completed manuscript should be submitted together with all required supporting documents, including author information, copyright declaration, authorship statement, ethical approval documents where applicable, and any supplementary material requested by the publisher. Authors should carefully review the submission checklist before submission to ensure the manuscript is complete and formatted according to the prescribed guidelines. Incomplete submissions may be returned for correction before editorial evaluation. You can submit your proposal and manuscript - and attach your draft file (PDF or Word) - through our Edited Book submission form.

Publication Models

SPJ Publication offers two principal book publication models: Open Access and Subscription-Based Publishing. Authors may select the model that best suits the nature of their book, intended readership, accessibility requirements, distribution preferences, and publishing objectives. The applicable publication terms, services, charges, licensing, royalties, and distribution arrangements will be communicated and agreed upon before publication.

Open Access: Open Access (OA) book publishing makes scholarly books freely available online without subscription or purchase barriers. It provides broad global accessibility and supports greater visibility, discoverability, educational use, and scholarly dissemination. OA books may be published under an appropriate Creative Commons licence.

The BPC may cover editorial management, peer-review administration, language editing, copyediting, typesetting, cover design, ISBN/DOI services, digital publication, metadata, indexing support, preservation, marketing, and distribution, as applicable. Charges, payment terms, discounts, waivers, or institutional arrangements will be communicated before publication. Payment of a BPC does not guarantee acceptance or publication.

Subscription-Based Publishing: Subscription-Based Publishing follows a traditional commercial model in which books are distributed through sales, subscriptions, bookstores, libraries, online retailers, and institutional channels. The publisher manages applicable editorial, production, marketing, distribution, and sales activities according to the publishing agreement.

The specific publication services, production arrangements, distribution channels, royalties, and financial terms will depend on the individual publishing agreement. Authors should review and approve the agreement before production and commercial release.

Choosing the Appropriate Model: Authors may select an open access or subscription-based publishing model according to their manuscript, target readership, accessibility requirements, and publishing objectives. The publisher may provide either model or recommend the most appropriate option based on the nature and requirements of the proposed book.

Proofreading and Author Approval

Before publication, authors will receive electronic page proofs for final review. Authors should check the proofs for typographical, formatting, and minor textual errors. Substantial additions, deletions, or restructuring are generally not permitted at this stage. Authors are expected to return corrections within the specified timeframe to avoid delays in publication.

Author Responsibilities: responsible for the accuracy, originality, completeness, and ethical integrity of their work. All contributors must approve the final manuscript, and applicable conflicts of interest, funding information, ethical approvals, permissions, and other required declarations must be disclosed. Authors should cooperate promptly with editorial, peer-review, and production processes and notify the publisher of significant errors identified after publication.

Benefits of Publishing with SPJP

SPJ Publication provides integrated editorial, production, and dissemination support designed to improve the quality, accessibility, and visibility of scholarly books.

Publication decisions remain subject to editorial evaluation, peer-review outcomes where applicable, ethical compliance, and the publisher's quality standards.